Elizabeth Ann Coker (born 11 June 1962) is an Australian politician. She is a member of the

Australian Labor Party The Australian Labor Party (ALP), also simply known as Labor, is the major centre-left political party in Australia, one of two major parties in Australian politics, along with the centre-right Liberal Party of Australia. The party forms the f ...

(ALP) and has been a member of the

House of Representatives House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entitles. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often c ...

since the 2019 federal election, representing the Victorian seat of Corangamite. She previously served as the mayor of the

Surf Coast Shire The Surf Coast Shire is a local government area in the Barwon South West region of Victoria, Australia, located in the south-western part of the state. It covers an area of and in June 2018 had a population of 32,251. It includes the towns of ...

. Coker won the

2022 Australian federal election The 2022 Australian federal election was held on Saturday 21 May 2022 to elect members of the 47th Parliament of Australia. The incumbent Liberal/National Coalition government, led by Prime Minister Scott Morrison, sought to win a fourth conse ...

with a 6.5% swing to the

(ALP).

Early life

Coker was born in

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

on 11 June 1962. Her mother Frances Mann worked as a nurse and her father Jack Coker was a senior public servant with the

Australian Broadcasting Control Board The Australian Broadcasting Control Board was an Australian government agency formed in 1949 whose main roles were to regulate commercial radio and television broadcasting. It was also the introducer and regulator for FM broadcasting. The agency ...

. She grew up in the suburb of

Beaumaris Beaumaris ( ; cy, Biwmares ) is a town and community on the Isle of Anglesey in Wales, of which it is the former county town of Anglesey. It is located at the eastern entrance to the Menai Strait, the tidal waterway separating Anglesey from ...

, later moving with her family to

Port Macquarie, New South Wales Port Macquarie is a coastal town in the local government area of Port Macquarie-Hastings. It is located on the Mid North Coast of New South Wales, Australia, about north of Sydney, and south of Brisbane. The town is located on the Tasman Sea co ...

where Coker's activism began. In her first speech to parliament, Coker revealed she vandalised a real estate sign with her then-boyfriend in Port Macquarie, in an act of defiance against deforestation. She said she has "moved on" from spray-painting signs, but understands people who are frustrated by government inaction on climate change. Coker holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of New England and Bachelor of Letters from

Deakin University Deakin University is a public university in Victoria, Australia. Founded in 1974, the university was named after Alfred Deakin, the second Prime Minister of Australia. Its main campuses are in Melbourne's Burwood suburb, Geelong Waurn Ponds, ...

, as well as a Diploma of Education from

Monash University Monash University () is a public research university based in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Named for prominent World War I general Sir John Monash, it was founded in 1958 and is the second oldest university in the state. The university has a ...

. Prior to entering politics, she worked briefly as a schoolteacher in outer Melbourne and held various positions in journalism, communications and public relations, including as a manager at the Victorian Department of Education. She completed a journalism cadetship at the ''

Geelong Advertiser The ''Geelong Advertiser'' is a daily newspaper circulating in Geelong, Victoria, Australia, the Bellarine Peninsula, and surrounding areas. First published on 21 November 1840, the ''Geelong Advertiser'' is the oldest newspaper title in Victor ...

''.

Politics

Coker was first elected to the

council in 2008, for the Anglesea ward. She served as mayor between 2009 and 2010, and again from 2012 to 2013.

House of Representatives

Coker won the ultra-marginal seat of Corangamite at the

2019 Australian federal election The 2019 Australian federal election was held on Saturday 18 May 2019 to elect members of the 46th Parliament of Australia. The election had been called following the dissolution of the 45th Parliament as elected at the 2016 double dissolut ...

, defeating

Liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * a supporter of liberalism ** Liberalism by country * an adherent of a Liberal Party * Liberalism (international relations) * Sexually liberal feminism * Social liberalism Arts, entertainment and m ...

incumbent

Sarah Henderson Sarah Moya Henderson (born 4 April 1964)HENDERSON, Sarah (1964–)

. Coker had unsuccessfully contested the seat at the

2016 Australian federal election The 2016 Australian federal election was a double dissolution election held on Saturday 2 July to elect all 226 members of the 45th Parliament of Australia, 45th Parliament of Australia, after an extended eight-week official campaign period. It ...

. The

2022 Australian Federal Election The 2022 Australian federal election was held on Saturday 21 May 2022 to elect members of the 47th Parliament of Australia. The incumbent Liberal/National Coalition government, led by Prime Minister Scott Morrison, sought to win a fourth conse ...

was won by the

(ALP), winning with 77 seats forming majority in the

lower house A lower house is one of two Debate chamber, chambers of a Bicameralism, bicameral legislature, the other chamber being the upper house. Despite its official position "below" the upper house, in many legislatures worldwide, the lower house has co ...

. As a result, Coker won the ultra-marginal seat of Corangamite. Following a redistribution of electoral boundaries in 2021 by the

Australian Electoral Commission The Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) is the independent federal agency in charge of organising, conducting and supervising federal Australian elections, by-elections and referendums. Responsibilities The AEC's main responsibility is to ...

(AEC), Coker no longer resides in the electorate she represents. The coastal towns of Anglesea and Aireys Inlet, where she resides, are now incorporated into the

Division of Wannon The Division of Wannon is an Australian Electoral Division in the state of Victoria. History The division was proclaimed in 1900, and was one of the original 65 divisions to be contested at the first Federal election. The division was named ...

References

External links

Official campaign website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Coker, Libby 1962 births Living people Australian Labor Party members of the Parliament of Australia Members of the Australian House of Representatives Members of the Australian House of Representatives for Corangamite Women members of the Australian House of Representatives 21st-century Australian politicians 21st-century Australian women politicians University of New England (Australia) alumni Monash University alumni Deakin University alumni Labor Left politicians Australian schoolteachers Australian public relations people Australian journalists